INITIATIVES

Overview

Another significant sub-initiative of ACCESS Microfinance India is to organize thematic policy retreats. Based on debates in the microfinance India Summit, a few policy retreats are organized each year. A small group of policy makers and thought leaders dwell on one specific theme in these retreats. In 2006, Livelihoods Finance was taken up in response to the phenomenon of the inability of microcredit programmes to provide adequate finance to support the livelihoods of the poor.

In 2007, in association with UNDP, a policy retreat was organized on the challenges of expanding the outreach of microinsurance. A similar round table to sensitize the members of National Advisory Council was organized. In 2008, 3 thematic / policy retreats were organised in collaboration with different stakeholders. A policy retreat on financial inclusion was organised in association with UNDP and CMF which was chaired by Dr. C Rangarajan, who chaired the Government's Committee Report on Financial Inclusion. Second policy retreat was organized on role of private & multinational banks in microfinance in collaboration with College of Agricultural Banking (CAB), Pune and a thematic retreat to encourage young researchers to take up action research was organised in association with Ford Foundation and CMF.

Similarly in 2009, in an attempt to take stock of progress of Business Facilitator and Business Correspondent models in the field and share key learning on successes and difficulties in BC/BF scheme with wider audience, ACCESS Development Services, CGAP and College of Agricultural Banking, Pune jointly organized a policy retreat on BC/BF model.